Subject
Re: What was Gordon wearing? (fwd)
From
Date
Body
From: Arthur Glass <goliard@worldnet.att.net>
Mr Berg has also 'gotten it right' in that I neglected the description of
'the grceful boy wreathed about the loins with ivy.' The contrast with
Gradus in his brown suit is brought out in that sentence. The smell of that
new suit is mentioned earlier, and could not have been anything less than
sour on a hot afternoon. The contrast of pagan sexual delight and the
Puritanical uptightness of the Party man is more important here, I think,
than Nabokov's views on homosexuality. Gordon's unreflective hedonism is
surely presented as more appealing than Gradus' gnostic denial of his body.
Of course Gradus has increasing troubles to come with his physical self.
----- Original Message -----
From: Galya Diment <galya@u.washington.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 7:51 PM
Subject: Re: What was Gordon wearing? (fwd)
> From: TENTENDER@aol.com
>
> Re note to line 408
>
> > The note seems to involve a superposition of sex and death.
>
> Mr. Glass seems to have gotten it right, although the superposition would
> seem to be (not surprisingly, given the famous -- and one notes, recently
> uncontested -- VN negative attitude toward homosexuality) between not sex
but
> homosexuality and death.
>
> There is one (possibly merely metaphorical) costume change for Gordon in
this
> note, not noted by Mr. Glass, for between the loincloth and the black
bathing
> suit, "the graceful boy" is found "wreathed about the loins with ivy."
>
> Christopher Berg
> Tentender@aol.com
Mr Berg has also 'gotten it right' in that I neglected the description of
'the grceful boy wreathed about the loins with ivy.' The contrast with
Gradus in his brown suit is brought out in that sentence. The smell of that
new suit is mentioned earlier, and could not have been anything less than
sour on a hot afternoon. The contrast of pagan sexual delight and the
Puritanical uptightness of the Party man is more important here, I think,
than Nabokov's views on homosexuality. Gordon's unreflective hedonism is
surely presented as more appealing than Gradus' gnostic denial of his body.
Of course Gradus has increasing troubles to come with his physical self.
----- Original Message -----
From: Galya Diment <galya@u.washington.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 7:51 PM
Subject: Re: What was Gordon wearing? (fwd)
> From: TENTENDER@aol.com
>
> Re note to line 408
>
> > The note seems to involve a superposition of sex and death.
>
> Mr. Glass seems to have gotten it right, although the superposition would
> seem to be (not surprisingly, given the famous -- and one notes, recently
> uncontested -- VN negative attitude toward homosexuality) between not sex
but
> homosexuality and death.
>
> There is one (possibly merely metaphorical) costume change for Gordon in
this
> note, not noted by Mr. Glass, for between the loincloth and the black
bathing
> suit, "the graceful boy" is found "wreathed about the loins with ivy."
>
> Christopher Berg
> Tentender@aol.com